Tainted Crimson 2
by Erich Sturmburg
Summary: Helen and Deneve were on their way to Pieta after being notified by Rubel somewhere in the west. However, while on the way, they were ambushed by a strong Yoma group, that is, until another Claymore appeared.
1. Waylay

Summary: Helen and Deneve were on their way to Pieta after being notified by Rubel somewhere in the west. However, while on the way, they were ambushed by a strong Yoma group, that is, until another Claymore appeared.

Note: Please do read part 1 that goes with the same title in order to see a character's progress. Also, if possible, remind me if Helen and Deneve are getting a little too out-of-character. That way, I'll know where to draw the line. Other than that, I won't ask anymore.

_**Tainted Crimson 2  
By: Outlaw-2**_

_**Opening Theme Song  
One Shot At Glory – Judas Priest**_

Let me hear the battle cry  
Calling on the wind  
Let me see the banners fly  
Before the storm begins

Let me feel the spirits soar  
Destroy the enemy  
Striking at the evil core  
For all the world to see

This day will last forever  
Deep in the hearts of men  
Courage and victory  
Remember, remember

One Shot At Glory  
In the crossfire overhead  
Fate stands before me  
Words have all been said

One Shot At Glory  
Driving hard and seeing red  
Destiny calls me  
One night of fire  
One Shot At Glory

Fighting on with dignity  
In life and death we deal  
The power and the majesty  
Amidst the blood and steel

I still hear the battle cry  
The call goes on and on  
I still see the banners fly  
The battle's always won

… … …

_**Situation 1  
Waylay**_

Days seemed to have passed rather quickly for a woman of 20 winters. But no matter she had to keep training, hence she could improve her sword-fighting skills. Her claymore bore the symbol of a swastika with an arrow that stabbed through the middle. With the weaponry, she did a downward diagonal slash, followed by another, but at the opposite direction, then back to where she started off. Slowly, she increased the pace with the help of releasing Yoki, barely revealing the shape of a number 8 that was placed horizontally. This went on for at least two to three minutes before she stopped; going overboard would only cause muscle pulls to her right arm.

Silver were the colour of her long hair while grey were the shades of her eyes; a sign of a weak Claymore. Perfectly normal variants would possess blonde hair, and silver eyes, but that was not the case for this particular Claymore. Belts were seen fastened tightly around her midriff while she wore a simple black dress with a maroon overcoat worn over, and black canvas shoes. Her hair was tied into two ponytails, simply because she felt comfortable with it.

The silver haired woman then paced her way to a stream, deciding to have a gulp of water, enough to lubricate her dry throat. It had been a while since she last left Jeane and Clare, considering that she wanted to find out how a Claymore would feel when in solidarity. Not only that, she now realized how dangerous a Claymore's life would be; constantly hunting down Yoma that may attack if one let their guard down. Ever since the experience back at Scarla, she was thankful that for now, she felt more like a Claymore, even though…

…she was an incomplete one.

Realising that she had more than enough rest, the said being trudged on, using the path ahead of her as a guide westwards. She had no idea why she was heading this way, nor had any clue to it. That was how a Claymore led their lives; wandering around the Earth. Grey eyes scanned the area in front of her, noticing a specific tree.

"Looks like an apple tree," she thought, pacing her way towards it, having ideas of grabbing one of the fruit. "I'll take a quick nap for the time being. Apples don't run away, as far as I know."

Impaling the blade to the ground, she sat, leaning against it, though she did find it uncomfortable compared to lying on a thin layer of leaves. But no matter, she did manage to doze off, with her arms crossed at her midriff; oblivious to the fact that she was being watched.

… … …

"Somehow, I find this very infuriating," scowled a shoulder length haired Claymore as she had both arms to the back of her scalp in an overhead fashion.

"What is it, Helen?" asked her comrade, who seemed not to be looking at the said being all along.

"We've just reached west, clearing a Yoma group that was terrorizing a village, and now Rubel pops out of nowhere and tells us that we are needed in Pieta, which is located in the North! Because of that, we've been walking from the east, then to the west, and now, north! Don't you find that annoying, Deneve?" the rowdy Claymore grumbled.

"I don't," the short haired blonde replied in a quick manner.

"You don't seem to care, do you?"

"It depends on the situation."

Helen could only let out a heavy sigh considering the fact that Deneve's short and simple answers was already enough to snuff out her frustrations. Silence soon enveloped the duo, as they paced their way down the path eastwards, then onto another that goes northwards. The two Claymores were somehow opposite in many ways. Deneve was the calm and collected one and often understands the situation before deciding on what to do. Helen, on the other hand, was a hot-headed and aggressive variant, and has a rather insensitive nature. But no matter, the duo was still able to get along, somehow neutralizing their differences.

Deneve paused; Helen followed suit. The short haired blonde stared at somewhat the thick greenery that was located before the path northwards. Number Fifteen paced her way closer to the source, while her right hand grasped the hilt of her claymore. The short haired blonde spun, drawing out her blade. She paused. The surge of Yoki she had sensed had ceased. But no matter, she did not let her guard down. Helen had been on the alert soon after that and had been scanning the area around them.

It had been only afternoon, but it seemed that there was something, or in fact someone, prey on them. Silver eyes from the offensive type Claymore stared at what it seemed a shadow, within a shadow. Carefully, she paced towards it- Helen swung her blade to parry a heavy horizontal claw swipe. Deneve swiveled to the opposite where her comrade was- she reacted with a quick slash that went in an upward arc. By then, they had realized that they had entered the Yoma territory, most probably the heart of it, considering the amount that surrounded the two Claymores.

Number Twenty-Two reacted quickly, just so before more of the Yoma were to appear. With a swift horizontal slash, Helen then continued her attack with an upward strike, severing two closely spaced Yoma before she went on to the next while glancing at Deneve just to make sure she was still up and fighting. Number Fifteen indeed was obviously still up and running; the short haired blonde leaped as her body arched downwards. From there, with her blade, she swung it in front of her in a horizontal semi-circle arc, then in an upward diagonal slash. Three Yoma ceased moving before collapsing with crimson leaking out from the slits on the neck that seemed minor, until their heads slid down at the final moment. Helen, obviously wooed by her comrade's way of clearing the beasts, she was rather distracted for a moment, leaving her open for a while.

A harsh horizontal claw swipe from the Yoma came barreling towards the said blonde. Just moments before the attack could lay a hit on the Claymore, a blade had already parried it, before being countered by a downward diagonal hit to the left shoulder that dug its way towards the neck, followed by a quick flick upwards, severing the beast's head. Though the duo had the ability to make quick kills to the Yoma, but with about thirty more left to be slain, they might, or might not be able to even clear them out. Usually, being in a Yoma territory, there would be at least a strong Yoma or two, or even an Awakened Being that leads them. Else, these Yoma would actually ambush in smaller groups, or even by themselves.

"Helen, make a path out! There's little space for us to maneuver around," Number Fifteen said with a deadpan face.

"I know that. Just try to evade my move," Number Twenty-Two replied while her eyes changed from silver to yellow while the irises changed to cat-like ones.

She swung her right arm which held the blade; using the ability she has, her said limb elongated, maneuvering around the mass of Yoma, ready to recoil with a quick retrieval. The beasts were dumbfounded by the limb that seemed to be kept on stretching; it retreated with the blade hacking to and fro in a semi-circle arc. The Yoma were caught off-guard by it, hence the little or no time they could react to the situation. Helen concentrated hard on her attack, while coursing a path to break out from the shrinking circumference they had after being surrounded. Deneve spun behind Number Twenty-Two, pulling her comrade slightly to the right- an unexpected assault from the beast caved through, missing its target. The short haired blonde kicked herself towards the said Yoma, thrusting her blade deep into the rib area. In rapid succession, she then yanked her claymore upwards, breaking the spine in the process. A hard crack was heard within before the beast lay limp onto the ground, dead- another came barreling through, running into her torso. Though it might be an assault that would only knock Deneve down, the impact had her saliva trail out from her mouth before slamming onto the hard, grainy sand path.

Helen kept silent, surprisingly. With a quick direction, while her right arm was shrinking in size while either injuring or killing the Yoma, she swiveled, changing the direction. Immense inertia was coming on hard. Controlling her accuracy and direction with the oncoming stretch arm of hers, Number Twenty-Two swung it as the blade came piercing through the Yoma with great velocity. The earth barely shook by the sudden impact Helen had caused.

"Come on!" exclaimed the rowdy blonde, pulling her comrade up.

"You think you'll be able to get out that quickly?" asked someone in a humanly voice; a female one in fact, who was blocking the escape route Helen had coursed out.

"Who are you?" Number Twenty-Two roused as both Claymores got themselves into battle-ready stance.

"That is not for you to know," without even wasting a second later, the said being had already turned into something more powerful than the Yoma themselves.

Eyes were of gold colour while her body was of a combination of a spider body with a human face that had veins virtually dominated throughout. By then they knew, that was most probably the leader of this Yoma group in the territory; an Awakened Being.

"Damn, of all times, why now?" Helen swore under her breath while Deneve kept silent, though she was agitated by the situation.

Without a word, the Awakened Being, and the Yoma began their assault in unison, leaving the duo little time to decide which to strike.

… … …

Incessant, constant sounds of a combination of squelching, metallic clangs, and repetitive thuds, roused the Claymore that sought shelter under the apple tree. Rubbing her eyes to clear up the blurry vision, she gazed towards the source- a claw-like swipe missed her by an inch, now stuck to the tree bark. Shocked by the sudden strike, grabbing her blade, she kicked herself away from the said tree, before swiveling to look at the Yoma who almost had her head.

"What's a Yoma doing here?" the silver haired woman thought before turning her head again to the main source.

By then, she knew; there from the distance, out of the several Yoma that stood was a bigger variant, in fact different from the rest. Awakened Being, she thought- a thrust sent her falling onto the path itself. The said Yoma was somehow persistent on taking her life. Grey eyes glanced at her target; only one was after her. The beast charged towards her with both arms ready to pierce her with its claw-like limbs. The Claymore, with haste, placed her blade in front of her while her free left hand touched the central ridge of the blade as a support. A hard clang ensued while a short vibration made by the impact had her left hand numb. But no matter, she had to counter it. Exerting force onto the central ridge of the claymore, the woman managed to counter it with an ineffective jolt to the forehead.

Swiftly, initiating at about 10 percent of her Yoki, she ran around the beast before kicking herself towards it with the blade ready for a stabbing strike. The Yoma somehow managed to expect the said move, and sidestepped its way out of the situation. The woman overshot past the beast, but she had another solution that maybe could land a hit on the Yoma. With her right foot in front, she used it as a brake once she went past the beast. Immediately, she did a quick horizontal slash by swiveling, using the motion to increase the effectiveness of the attack. Blood splattering was heard. The Yoma then knelt, its arms grabbing the torso area, most probably in pain by the gash formed.

The Claymore then took no time with another horizontal slash to the neck, killing the Yoma immediately. The lady paused, taking a short breather from the sudden assault. The practices she had done after leaving Jeane and Clare seemed to have worked, just barely that is. Her agility was still one of the main issues she had to cover, but at least her reaction time had quickened. But no matter, that was not the problem. It was the source nearby-

"Two Claymores?" she thought, noticing two women in the official suits from the organization in the midst of the group of Yoma and the lonesome Awakened Being.

Without a word, she dashed her way to the scene, with her great sword to the right side, both hands grasping onto the hilt tightly. The silver haired lass was not sure what she was trying to do, but she knew, she had to at least help the two Claymores. They might be in trouble, she thought.


	2. Skeptical

_**Situation 2  
Skeptical**_

The Yoma began raining in towards the two Claymores- Helen spun, elongating her right arm as the blade she held in the said limb began severing or injuring the beasts. Deneve charged with a downward swoop of the blade, sending a number of the mere minions floored with a hard thud. However, the Yoma were not of their main concern, the Awakened Being seemed to have made her move as well. Its bladed legs came crushing in, not a care if the monster had killed her own allies. What mattered to the Awakened Being was only the guts by the two fools she called Claymores.

Helen saw the emergency of the situation and set on leaping her way towards the leader of the pack. Deneve foresaw her partner's plan when she did so, but was uneasy, to the fact that they had fought a similar kind of Voracious Eater back when both of them were teamed up with Miria and Clare. But no matter, they had to defeat the Yoma group, else they would not be able to move on to Pieta. Number Fifteen swung her blade in a semi-circle arc in front of her, then charging through the severed Yoma, and did the same move again, managing to at least cut down the number of beasts by seven. A thrust shoved the blonde to the right, sending her careening to the ground. Instincts kicked in while her eyes turned yellow. With her free left hand, she used it as a support as it touched the ground, then executed a simple somersault while doing an overhead strike to an unfortunate Yoma.

"Even though there's lesser Yoma; about fifteen left. But Helen's dealing with the Awakened Being," thought Deneve, sprinting her way out of the Yoma mass, luring them away from the leader.

With her best foot, immediately, she kicked herself back towards the Yoma, with her blade held in a horizontal fashion. Timing her strike, she swung it with a swift slash, severing the heads of the beasts- another thrust came barreling through her torso; hitting the ground with an audible thud. Even though her head had hit the surface rather hard, Deneve went on as her legs curled before booting the Yoma in the skull. The sudden inertia sent the beast into delayed recoil before the blonde charged with the blade piercing through its torso after she went into a sprinting position. Continuing the assault, initiating more Yoki, she swung the blade to the left; it left the body of the said beast before going on to strike though the skull of another.

The tide was somehow on Deneve's side after she had gotten out after being surrounded. However, an audible splatter was heard; from Number Twenty-Two.

"Helen!" she exclaimed, while trying not to be distracted.

… … …

The shoulder length haired blonde found herself shoved away while the side of her midriff was partially hacked by the Awakened Being's bladed legs. There was no way she could use her arms to entangle the said limbs; it would simply defeat the purpose for Helen to do so. A tough decision was made, she went straight for the monster's neck. Dashing towards the Awakened Being, she kicked herself to the air, her hands grabbing tightly onto the hilt of the claymore, ready for a quick strike to the neck. However, such haste was the downfall as the Voracious Eater utilized her legs to simply swat her off. The sudden change of force had Number Twenty-Two hitting the ground once again, only to see her charging towards the Awakened Being as soon she recovered.

The monster dared not utter a word; she actually found herself bored, the fact that a Claymore like her was still unable to penetrate her defenses. Helen leaped herself to the air once again, this time with an idea. The moment she was about three metres from the Awakened Being, she swung her right arm, and let it wrap around the Awakened Being's neck. The monster was surprisingly amused by this fact, but was not afraid of losing her head; utilizing the front two legs, she swung towards Helen, aiming for the Claymore's torso. At such a high velocity, the blonde was somehow grinning to herself. Just moments before the two blades were about to hit Helen, swiftly, she evaded them why shirking her stretched arm, sending her upwards. That had the Awakened Being caught off guard as its own assault soon hit its face, severing multiple veins, and blinding one eye.

"Chance!" thought Helen reeling her stretched arm back quickly, as the blade made a deep gash surrounding the neck area before her voice came through. "How's that?"

As soon as her limb returned to its original form, the blonde retreated at a certain distance, waiting for the Awakened Being to attack, where she would take advantage of the possible delay the wounded monster would have. Anger kicked in for the Voracious Eater, attacking with a horde of continuous stabbing motions by the front 4 bladed legs. However, having only one eye to rely on seeing, the Awakened Being could only see things in two-dimensional, no longer the three-dimensional where it would be more accurate. That had Helen in the advantage as she charged towards the Voracious Eater with both hands grasping tightly onto the hilt of the claymore. The frustrated monster was literally dumbfounded to even think what to do, or even how to counter the attack, considering that her accuracy had dropped.

Taking the chance swiftly, Helen did an overhead strike to the wounded neck of the Awakened Being, severing it completely. The leader of the pack had been taken down; a hard thud from the dropping head was heard. Number Twenty-Two, landing soundly on her two feet, showed a smirk on her face, obviously amused that she was able to outwit an Awakened Being, and defeated it. However, oblivious around her, a Yoma snuck up from behind, its claws all ready to pierce through Helen's back. Deneve had noticed the said beast all along, before her voice came through.

"Behind you!"

Number Twenty-Two spun; the Yoma was already an arm's length from striking her. Too late, she thought- another being came barreling through the beast, sending the Yoma and the person careening to the ground with a thud. The silver haired woman got up to her feet first, grabbing her claymore while the Yoma followed suit. However, without any delay, the beast had swung its left arm, leaving a cut on the side of the woman's midriff, while her black dress she wore ripped in that section. Not caring on her clothing, she then charged towards the Yoma recklessly, the blade in front of her. As expected, the beast sidestepped from the strike, only to realize a sudden searing pain from its back. The woman had used about fifteen percent of her Yoki to brake quickly and a swiveling slash at the same time. The Yoma found itself collapsing to the ground, trying to ease the pain at its back. The said woman then paced her way to the Yoma, and with her claymore, she swung it overhead, severing its head, though roughly.

Soon after, the situation calmed down. A handful of Yoma escaped from the three Claymores, but at least they knew that it would be a while before they would return to counterattack. The silver haired lass began to pace her way, somehow away from the two official Claymores. It was as if she felt much more inferior this time round compared to the last two, where she was more comfortable due of Clare's presence as Number Forty-Seven. However-

"Hold it!" Helen called over.

The woman paused, her left hand covering the wound on the side of her midriff. She turned around, revealing grey eyes towards the blonde. Number Twenty-Two was somehow muddled. She was not sure how to rephrase a simple 'Thank You'. Instead…

"Are you nuts? You almost got yourself killed because of that Yoma. If it had hit me, I would have at least had the chance to survive, while you don't."

The woman was amused at what she had heard. But no matter, there was something Helen had not noticed. The silver haired woman, lifted her right arm, that revealed a claymore with an emblem. Number Twenty-Two took a step back, realizing she had been saved by someone of her own kind. However, there was something dubious; for a Claymore to not wear the organization's suit, Helen came to an assumption that the woman who had saved her might have been another Awakened Being who did not seem to fancy her. Not only that, she did not seem to have the same traits as a normal Claymore. Instead, she had grey eyes, and silver hair; a far cry from silver eyes and blonde hair. Helen grasped onto her blade; she lunged forward with a quick overhead strike. The woman seemed to panic at the sudden burst of speed Number Twenty-Two had. Utilizing thirty percent of her Yoki, the 'Awakened Being' leaped her way out, but her landing was far from perfect. Collapsing to the ground, she took a moment to get up to her feet, only to receive a hard thrust to her torso.

"Wait," the woman's voice croaked.

Helen did not seem to care; she went on with a hard side hit using the body of the blade. That had the being flying to the right, hitting against a tree. Her eyes reverted back to grey. A gasp left her mouth, a small trail of blood left her mouth. However, noticing Helen charging towards her again, she used the body of the blade to guard herself; her right hand grabbing the hilt while her free left hand touched the central ridge of the said weapon. A hard clang ensued. Her left hand began to bleed after a slit formed on it.

"Wait!" she exclaimed this time round, but was still left ignored.

Grey eyes then returned to yellow variant, utilizing twenty percent of the Yoki. With that, she countered with a jolt to Helen's forehead. However, to at least give a small delay for her to speak, the woman gave a hard punch to Number Twenty-Two's midriff, enough to make her squirm for a moment.

"I said wait! Don't you understand?" she hissed this time round.

By then, Deneve had arrived, somehow not threatened by the silver haired woman. Instead, she reminded her comrade to calm down with a deadpan face before taking her attention to the grey eyed Claymore.

"You seemed different from other Claymores," said Number Fifteen, somehow in a way wanting to find out her. "What's your name and rank?"

"Again," the silver haired woman thought, before voicing out her answer in a rather serious tone. "Raquel, Number Forty-Eight."

By then, Helen and Deneve's attention propped up. They were dumbfounded that the Claymore standing right in front of them was Number Forty-Eight, one rank lower than the one they knew; Clare. However, one question stands; was there a Number Forty-Eight in the first place? However, before Deneve could even ask, Raquel had cut in, answering their most probable question.

"I'm not an official Claymore, even though Rubel had given me this blade about two years ago. I consumed a Yoma when I had no food left to survive after the same beast tried to kill me; only to see it get killed."

"I see," replied Number Fifteen. "Which means, as a Number Forty-Eight."

"An ultimate outcast from all Claymores," Raquel replied before adding in. "And except Rubel, I'm not heard of by the organization, by the reasons you already now."

The short haired blonde seemed to understand the situation Raquel's position was, and somehow accepted her explanation. However, Helen was still a bit doubtful, even though she had been convinced that Raquel was simply an outcast Claymore, that is, until she felt something growling in her midriff.

"Again, Helen?" Deneve asked, knowing what it meant.

Number Twenty-Two just showed a smile, trying to get away from the assumption that she was hungry. However, a crunch was heard from Number Forty-Eight; an apple. There she was, Raquel, chewing a fruit to her heart's content, that is, Helen caught her attention.

"Hey! No tempting me for food!" Number Twenty-Two scatted before asking, literally changing her tone as well. "Where'd you get that apple?"

"Look up," Raquel answered before taking another bite.

"Oh," replied the famished Claymore, grabbing the juicy red fruit that was still intact to the tree, but doubts still kicked in. "Don't try anything funny on me, all right?"

Deneve remained silent, though her thoughts voiced out, "Helen's still skeptical about Raquel."

"Hmm, isn't there a town just up north where we are?" asked Helen to Deneve. "I might want to just have a mug of apple cider to quench my thirst."

"Your term for one mug is equivalent to about five mugs," Deneve rubbed it in, obviously that her answer was a 'no'.

"Come on!" Helen whined. "It's just one mug-."

"Five mugs."

"One!"

"Five."

Number Fifteen soon went silent, somehow not answering Helen's pleas again. The shoulder length haired blonde let out a heavy sigh before taking a bite on the apple. Her attention then turned to Raquel, having an idea popping into her head.

"You, tag along! If Deneve's unwilling to go to the pub in the next town, you will."

"Why do I have to be in your mess?" the silver haired Claymore shot back. "I just left Scarla some few days ago-."

Unfortunately for Raquel, even though she had finished one apple, it seemed that her stomach had signaled her that it was still not enough. Number Forty-Eight looked away from Helen, who seemed to have snapped her fingers, knowing that Raquel would tag along. It was logical though; for the past few days, Raquel had been surviving on apples, considering that fishing was not her kind of way to retrieve food. That, to her dismay, only had Deneve no choice but to join in as well, considering that it was two out of one.

"Let's head to the next town then," said Number Fifteen in a rather unwilling manner.

"All right!" replied Helen.

"Why does my stomach have to signal at this particular moment?" thought Raquel.


	3. Claymore Type

_**Situation 3  
Claymore Type**_

It had been barely a day's worth of walking through the northern prairie before streams of people going to and fro from the town became more apparent. By then, the trio knew, the town was nearby. The town; Everglades. Deneve was still putting on a deadpan face, only raising eyebrows when her comrade, Helen, was somehow pulling Raquel by the left hand, obviously for one reason.

"Come on! The pub here we go!" Number Twenty-Two exclaimed. "No backing out, Raquel!"

"Why me, and not Deneve?" Number Forty-Eight replied with a voice of dread, glancing at the short haired blonde.

"I'll go look for lodging then I'll drop by to the pub," she replied, obviously not answering Raquel directly.

"Bummer," muttered the silver haired woman, being dragged into the situation with Helen as they entered the tavern.

"Four mugs of cider over here!" Helen announced just after she got themselves a table that accommodates three.

"Four?" Twin-tails asked, somehow trying to figure out.

"Two for me," the blonde hushed.

"But you said-," Raquel was about to correct Helen, only to hear her barge in.

"I know! But at least it's two-,"

"It's still more than one, hmm?" another voice in a form of Deneve was heard, raising her left eyebrow.

"Heh heh," Helen replied with a hint of backing away from her comrade, closer to Raquel.

"Really," the silver haired woman remarked in a bemused tone before the mugs of ciders arrived, though the waitress was a bit…

"Wahey! Thanks- huh?" Number Twenty-Two replied, somehow a bit excited that she managed to scare the lights out of the one who served them the hard ciders.

"You scared her off," Deneve remarked, taking a mere sip of the drink in front of her.

"I know," silver eyes glanced at the same lady who seemed to be running back to the bartender.

"Maybe it's because of your response?" Raquel implied, somehow had taken a big gulp of the alcoholic drink.

"It's not like they're afraid of you as well," Helen shot back.

"Right, cut it out," Deneve interfered before cutting to the main topic. "Well, Raquel, I had witnessed how you fought against the Yoma back then, and it made me into thinking; what type are you, Defensive, or Offensive?"

The silver haired woman paused, before she gave a rather unexpected answer, "I don't know."

"What?" Helen replied. "You're basically a Claymore, and yet you don't know what type you are?"

"Show me your wound at the side of your midriff," Deneve suggested. "It seems that you're still cringing once in a while by it."

"Sorry, but I can't. Personal reasons," Number Forty-Eight replied, her left arm wrapping around to the right side of her midriff.

"I see, but could you tell me; is it still healing?" the short haired blonde said, taking another sip of the cider while Helen had went on to the next mug.

Grey eyes took a quick glance at the wound. Moving her left hand away, while biting her lower lip. From there, she moved one of the five belts that were wrapping around her midriff. A slight twinge made her pause while crimson still dribbled out from the wound. She gazed at it before replying Deneve's question.

"Still in the process of healing."

"Right. From the looks of it, you might be the Offensive type. However, the way you fight was leaning towards the Defensive type. It's puzzling. What you're doing is actually a contradicting, lose-lose situation," Number Fifteen implied before her comrade, Helen, caught her attention. "What are you doing?"

"Huh?" replied the shoulder length haired blonde, cracking open some peanuts. "The bartender gave us a bowl of roasted peanuts while you two were talking away."

"First, two mugs of ciders, now a bowl of peanuts. You do know those peanuts will make you even thirstier, right?" Deneve stated the obvious.

"Oh, I knew that," Helen replied, popping in one into her mouth.

"Why do I even bother talking you out to this?" muttered Deneve before Raquel interrupted.

"I'll be at the water closet," before she paced her way for it her left hand still covering the wound.

Putting up a blank look on her face, the silver haired woman knew, it would be anytime before she ends up in a crouching mess. The Yoma side in her body was somehow trying to heal the wound, but if she were to simply allow it just it is, most probably Raquel would face another bout of seizure. She did not want that. Having no choice, she unleashed a small percentage of her Yoki while entering the water closet. That was when she began removing the belts from her midriff with haste. Her mouth formed a downward arc before she began biting her lower lip. Both hands then pressed onto the wound, unleashing twenty percent of her Yoki this time round.

The effect began to kick in, but at a slower pace then usual. That dumbfounded her. Back at Scarla during the fight against the Awakened Being, the rate of her healing was very much faster than usual. That was when she realized what the cause was.

"Am I dependant on Yoma meat?" she thought, recalling the time where Jeane, Clare, and herself were ambushed before reaching Scarla. "If so, that means I can't prevent myself from experiencing the seizure."

Frustrations hit Raquel hard. She glanced at the injury; a mere bruise this time round. Yellow eyes mellowed down to lighter variants; a sign that only ten percent of her Yoki was used. She relaxed after all that, tilting her head upwards, she let out a heavy sigh. She shut her eyes, calming herself down before moving on to belting her midriff. However, everything seemed to go horribly wrong from that moment onwards. Just as she paced her way out of the water closet, chaos soon broke out in the tavern. Usual patrons began screaming the same word over and over again.

"Yoma! There's a Yoma!"

Soon after, glasses of variant kinds began cracking and smashing; an obvious sign that people were trying to get away from the affected area as far as possible. That somehow alerted Raquel; coming into view of the chaos, Deneve and Helen were already throwing attacks to the beast. However, to fight in the tavern-

"Raquel! Do something; get that annoying Yoma out of here!" Helen exclaimed before throwing an overhead slash, only to be parried with a sideswipe by the body of the blade.

Number Fifteen then charged with a horizontal slash in mind. While paying attention to the scrambling humans that were the hindrance to the fight, Deneve executed the move. The Yoma, however, had other ideas. Instead of blocking the assault with its limbs, it utilized the hard surfaces of the table it spotted nearby. A deep groove formed on the hardwood surface, but it was enough to nullify the short haired blonde's assault. However, such an impact did make the beast recoil a little, a bit closer to the entrance/exit. Helen saw the chance to at least knock the Yoma out of the place, and settle the matter outside, where probably, the chances of hitting a human might be low. However, just as Number Fifteen was about to execute the assault, a being in a form of Raquel came barreling through without her blade, somehow ready to shove the Yoma out with inertia.

"Raquel, you idiot-," Helen's voice rang into Number Forty-Eight's ears before she could hear nothing except the Yoma's breathing and upcoming assault.

Ready to use her right shoulder, the silver haired woman then gave a hard blunt thrust to the table that the Yoma held. It had no effect on damaging the beast, but the motion that passed from Raquel to the Yoma was working. The sudden inertia sent the beast stumbling out, flinging the table away from the tavern, hitting some stall a few metres away. Helen and Deneve were dumbfounded, yet amused by how risky an outcast Claymore had did. However, there was no time to waste; Deneve had rushed out to deal with the Yoma while Helen followed suit, only to remember Raquel as well. She grabbed the blade that was resting against the wall where they were initially sat, and was about to toss it to the silver haired Claymore, only to pause momentarily.

"H-hey, Raquel!" she exclaimed. "What are you- your arm got stabbed by the Yoma!"

Number Forty-Eight winced at the fresh wound that was produced after the said beast had managed to execute a quick downward stab into her right shoulder. But no matter, that was not the main point. They had to stop the Yoma before any casualties happen. Putting up the fight with the searing wound, she grasped the hilt of her claymore Helen had been holding before rushing out of the tavern. Things were chaotic outside as well. Deneve swung a swift vertical upward strike towards the Yoma- it evaded with a leap backwards. But just a second later, the moment the short haired blonde's attack had ceased, the beast charged towards her with a harsh claw swipe to the torso. The blonde reacted as soon she could, and managed to do so, barely.

However, quickly, Deneve countered with a quick retreat by reversing then leaping over the Yoma, her blade in front of her, expecting a back assault. It never came; instead, Raquel charged towards the beast with her claymore in front of her, initiating a straight offensive pierce through the torso. The Yoma evaded it with ease before sending a downward thrust to the silver haired Claymore. The said blade wielding being, following the direction of the sudden force, crashed onto the surface of the ground with a hardy thud. Raquel's body twitched at the damage it received before she could even stand up. But things were turning ugly for her when the Yoma used one of its feet to literally pin the illegitimate Claymore down, each time adding more pressure to her back, especially at her midriff. That had turned Raquel into a wailing fit.

"No! Not the midriff! _Not the midriff!_" Number Forty-Eight's pleas only made the Yoma step onto her back even harder. "No-argh!"

… … …

Helen rushed out of the tavern just moments Raquel had left. However, things happened a bit too fast for her to catch up; the only thing she noticed next was the silver haired woman being pinned under the Yoma, and was now howling in agony. Deneve had began charging towards the beast, at least thrusting it away from Raquel. However, she ceased moving when the Yoma applied even more pressure than before, till blood began leaking out from Number Forty-Eight's midriff. Grey eyes began to fill with tears; obviously she could not bear the increasing torture she faced. Her hands grasped onto the hilt of her claymore; immediately, she began attempting to cut the Yoma's legs off even though she had to guess the direction. She unleashed twenty percent of her Yoki, to at least resist the torture from the beast hence she could try countering as long as she could. The Yoma was somehow enjoying the lose-lose situation the three Claymores had; the constant mere slashes formed on its right leg was somehow thrilling for it, in fact exciting.

"Raquel, hold on a little longer!" Helen exclaimed, charging towards the Yoma while Deneve yelled at her.

"Helen, don't!"

However, being Helen, she snuffed out her comrade's reply and set on with a horizontal slash, then with a hard thrust to the Yoma's torso. The blade's assault was deflected with a hard downward swipe of its arm to the body of blade; but the thrust managed to tip the beast over slightly, leaving Raquel some room to relieve the continuous assault. But Helen knew; should the Yoma regain its balance, the silver haired lass would probably face even more of the agony than she had right now. A hasty decision was made by Helen; with the blade now in her right hand, she swung towards the Yoma, which would probably be evaded by the beast. However, quickly, she elongated her arm hence it would wrap around the Yoma. Yellow eyes from Number Twenty-Two then turned to Deneve before her voice came through.

"Deneve!" she yelled before exerting a force to at least move, or even hurl the Yoma towards Number Fifteen. "It's yours!"

Helen's efforts did manage to move the said monster away from Raquel, but it did not even make it towards Deneve, even. It only made Number Twenty-Two in grave danger. The short haired blonde raced her way towards the Yoma, not leaving any chances; she hurled the blade downwards in an overhead fashion. Helen saw it coming; kicking herself away, she released the grip onto the Yoma, leaving a big distance for Deneve to finish the beast off. An audible crack was heard; the Yoma's skull shattered from the scalp as the blade went halfway through the neck before she changed the direction of her attack to the right, then to the left, severing the head into two. Crimson spurted out from the open wound from the trunk of the Yoma; some of it splattered onto Raquel's face. Assuming that it was hers, the silver haired woman used her tongue to at least wipe some that was on her lips before she went unconscious, barely breathing as well.

Without delay, Helen and Deneve went to her aid, most probably trying to get her to the inn hence she could heal with time. But in a condition where her back would break at any moment when the Yoma was toying Raquel around, they were careful not to injure her further. But coming to the Claymore type as to what Deneve had brought up, she may have found an answer.

"She might be one suicidal Claymore back then, almost costing her life. But, at least we know what type Raquel is," thought Deneve, before she voiced out the answer. "Offensive."

"Huh?" went Number Twenty-Two, when she heard the short haired blonde's voice.

"Nothing, it's just that Raquel needs more practice than she has right now," Number Fifteen implied. "We'll put that for later; Raquel needs our attention for now. Who knows what might happen next."

"Right."


	4. Frustration

_**Situation 4  
Frustration**_

Raquel was not sure how long she had been unconscious, but she knew that nighttime had started. Grey eyes blinked continuously to clear her vision before a slight twinge made her pause for a moment. She gazed at the wounds on both her midriff and right shoulder; they seemed to have healed while she was knocked out. Sitting up on the bed, grey eyes then scanned the rather dark bedroom; she must be in an inn, the one Deneve had said earlier on. However, it was nighttime, and it was Raquel's perfect time to do her practices, reasons being that the night was much cooler compared in the day, and there would be little to no people taking attention of her practices.

She looked around, finding her claymore. There it was, leaning against the wall, though it was tilting slightly towards the left. Without a second thought, she grasped it and made her way out of the inn. Odd enough, for some strange reason, Deneve and Helen were no where in sight. That somehow puzzled Raquel, but no matter, she went on, exited the inn, and paced her way out of the town. However, what she had not realized was the two Claymores waiting at the exit. That was when Helen became more doubtful.

"What are you?" Number Twenty-Two aiming her blade at the silver haired Claymore. "In fact, who, really, are you?"

Raquel was puzzled by that; it seemed that everything had gone back to square one. Grey eyes turned to look at the short haired blonde, her arms still crossed when she voiced out.

"Just to let you know, after we got you into the inn I booked, you went into a bout of seizure. We loosened the belts around your midriff, and noticed that there's still certain elements of Yoma not merged with your body. That had both of us doubtful about your status as an 'illegitimate' Claymore. Tell me; are you a Yoma or an Awakened Being? From my view, a Claymore seemed almost impossible."

Number Forty-Eight kept silent. By then she knew that the blood she licked off from her mouth was not hers; that Yoma's. Instead of going on with her explanation in which she might expect Helen to interrupt halfway through, Raquel kept on pacing her way towards the exit, even crossing past the two Claymores.

"Stop," Deneve replied, turning to look at Number Forty-Eight, who simply showed her back at the blonde. "Where do you think you're heading?"

"Somewhere in the forest. I don't expect you two to attack me with my back showing to the two of you; it's disrespectful to do so. Right now, it depends on what you believe about me; Helen, Deneve," the illegitimate Claymore answered. "I'll be off then, even though it's short-lived. But I'll tell you one thing though, Deneve; why was it I answered one of your questions with 'Personal reasons'? Seems you might have breached that."

Number Fifteen took a step back by Raquel's counter, but remained silent as the silver haired woman disappeared into the dark forest about a short distance away from the town of Everglades. Helen, on the other hand, was, as per normal, downright annoyed by what that 'Yoma/Awakened Being' had said. She was about to charge towards Raquel when Deneve placed her right arm in front of Helen; a sign to stop her.

"I might have overlooked one possibility; Raquel did say she 'devoured' a Yoma for survival, unlike us, Helen," the short haired blonde implied. "The process for her turning into a Claymore might have been impure."

… … …

It might have been about three hours after that harsh 'farewell' by the two official Claymores, but it seemed not to bother Raquel that much. Even though she had expected such an occasion to occur, she never knew it was this heart-wrenching. It was as if she was courting death by doing so. But no matter she had to do at least some training hence she could improve on her sword fighting skills. Spotting a tree that was sturdy enough to withstand any damage, she decided to try the adopted skill from Jeane.

Standing from a distance, she placed the blade in front of her. From there, she positioned it so the blade was held vertically. Her right hand grasped onto the hilt of the claymore while her left hand clasped onto the upper cross-guard. Taking a deep breath, she initiated about twenty-five percent of her Yoki. Her eyes turned immediately to bright yellow from grey ones. She concentrated on the target; the specific tree located some distance in front of her.

"Here goes nothing," she thought before she began rushing towards the aim.

She felt that her agility was much left to be desired, hence she would have to compensate with inertia. It all happened so fast as the blade stabbed the trunk of the wood. Raquel then applied pressure to her left hand; hence it would deepen the assault, much to her theory. However, it ceased. Only about a quarter of the blade had penetrated into the trunk of the tree, much to her disappointment. Raquel then cooled off her Yoki to a mere five percent, just at least she could keep up with her stamina, if she had any after all the practices all these days. In mind of trying again, the twin-tailed woman began pulling the claymore out from the trunk, but it seemed that it got wedged.

"What the," sputtered the 20 year old. "It's bloody stuck into the trunk!"

This time, with both hands, she began yanking the blade with more force, applying ten percent of her Yoki. It did not budge. She then placed her legs onto the same trunk and did so again. However, at such a position, anything wrong was bound to happen. The blade did manage to unstick its way out, at the cost of its wielder hitting the moist soil. Raquel let out a wheeze before the blade stabbed itself to the ground just about a head's length away from her. A heavy sigh left her mouth; too close, she thought. However, that did not stop her from trying again.

Repeating the sequence as last time, this time, utilizing the maximum amount of Yoki she could unleash; thirty percent. Aiming for the same tree, she charged towards it, ready to strike. But this time, before the point of the blade touched the surface of the bark, she had applied pressure onto the cross guard. Because of that, the tip had tilted downwards slightly; hence the pierce was at a slight downward angle. It covered more area of damage, but at a depth of about a fifth of the blade. By then, Raquel knew she had to time it properly; just as the point of the blade touches the tree bark, apply pressure onto the cross guard. However, that was the problem; her accuracy was not that good, as proven by her attacks back then, one of which even led to her deathly agony thanks to the Yoma.

Because of that, she may have to revise that move; one of which was to improve her agility, where she felt she was lacking most. Other than that suggestion she had in mind, there was no option for her to improve. That had her hopes low. Impaling the blade to the ground, she leaned against it while wrapping her arms around her midriff- her heavy bouts of coughing kicked in. Leaning her body to the left, she covered her mouth with her right hand- blood began to spill out from the gaps in between her fingers. A pause ensued for at least a minute or two before she went on with another bout of coughing before it turned into lung ripping hackings. She shut her eyes as the amount of crimson expelled from her mouth increased. Raquel swore she wanted it to stop; it felt as if she was throwing her life away. The coughing ceased. It left her light in the head, shifting between consciousness and unconsciousness.

Number Forty-Eight swore she wanted to move on to her next practice; with the blade as her support she made her way up to her feet with quite a trouble. Her footings were not sound, but at least she was able to stand up. Holding the claymore with her right hand, she began motioning it in a figure of a number '8', except that it was the horizontal variant. At one moment she was about to drop to the ground, but was able to regain balance when she utilized her Yoki once again, this time up to twenty percent. She began to pick up pace of the horizontal '8' attack, though it seemed to look like a pulsating variant instead of the usual smooth continuous slash. Raquel somehow found it interesting; the pulsating variant of the attack could be used to execute multiple stab wounds in a short amount of time. However, before she could even move on thinking, the next thing she remembered was a hard thud, the night skies, and then pitch black darkness while her hand still grasped onto the hilt of her blade.

However, behind the shadows, it appeared that the two Claymores had witnessed what Raquel had been doing, and that specific moment where she was coughing and about. Helen's doubts had mellowed, though not completely. Deneve did not even utter a word. Instead, she paced her way closer to the knocked out Raquel, and stared at her. It seemed that Raquel was hiding things from them hence they would not worry about her condition as they had witnessed.

"An incomplete Claymore, that harsh variant," thought Number Fifteen before she turned to her comrade. "Helen, we better carry her back to the inn. She might be telling the truth about being a Claymore."

Number Twenty-Two seemed to be avoiding the issue about Raquel telling the truth; she was still unsure about that silver haired woman. But no matter, the condition Raquel was in seemed serious, in fact deteriorating. Deneve had assumed that only the surface might have been healed, but not the ones internally, hence the serious bouts of coughing out blood. Just as Helen and Deneve were helping Raquel back to the inn, it seemed that Number Forty-Eight muttered out a few words, signaling her determination even though she might still be inexperienced in sword fighting, apart from the practices she had been doing, and the one she had somehow did so back when they were ambushed.


	5. Northwards

_**Situation 5  
Northwards**_

A day had passed, and nightfall began. Raquel woke up in a jolt this time round, scaring the lights out of Helen, who seemed to be monitoring her status. Deneve was also around in the room, though ready to leave the inn anytime soon. The silver haired woman looked away from the two of them, still a bit sore by that incident.

"What are you going to do; kill me in a civil manner?" Raquel asked in a rather apathetic manner.

"Northwards; we're heading to Pieta," the short haired blonde replied.

"Pieta again," thought the silver haired woman before she voiced out the reason. "The Awakened Beings there, am I right?"

Helen and Deneve were taken aback by the fact that Raquel had came to know about the situation in Pieta as well. It was as if she had read their minds. They wanted to ask her where did she find the source from, but they refrained from doing so. The two Claymores paced their way out of the room, somehow leaving Raquel in it. A faint 'tsk' left the twin-tailed woman's mouth. They had probably taken her back to the inn because they found her knocked out when she was training. The cheek for them to spy on her. Grasping onto the hilt of her blade, she got off from the bed, pacing her way to the window, checking the weather. It was clear, though thin mist was forming, considering the cold climate of the area. That was when she heard Deneve's voice.

"What are you waiting for?"

"You almost marked me as a Yoma, and an Awakened Being, and now you're asking me that?" Raquel countered before adding on. "I don't really understand you, at all."

Silence dominated the area soon after, somehow leaving a cold effect. The silver haired woman gazed through the window for another two good minutes before she turned around, noticing Deneve still standing there. She let off a shrug, before implying.

"Guess you two still insist on me to tag along, hmm? Looks like I have no choice."

Raquel paced her way towards the duo, while Helen glanced at her comrade, Number Fifteen with a puzzled look. Guess that was her way of apologizing, thought Helen. It might have been a very tense night for the trio, considering the growing doubts between Deneve and Helen, and Raquel. It was as if there was a wall separating in between them.

… … …

As they moved on northwards, the surroundings around them soon became dominated with white landscape of snow, and more falling snow. That somehow made Raquel a little chilly; she never had been to the north. But that puzzled her when she realized the two official Claymores, Deneve and Helen, were not affected by the cold weather. That was when a conversation sparked off.

"How in the world you two are not fazed by this cold weather?" Number Forty-Eight asked, wrapping her overcoat closer to her body. "It's freezing."

"It's simple," the shoulder length haired Claymore replied, much to Raquel's surprise. "Just use your Yoki to adjust with the temperature."

"What?" the inferior being sputtered. "You mean you can use Yoki to warm yourselves up?"

"Something like that," silver eyes from the said woman glanced while waving her left index finger. "But not exactly what you had just said. That was like comparing us to bears."

"At least you two are getting along," the short haired blonde implied, taking a slight peek at the two conversing before Helen shot back in denial.

"No! I was just trying to explain why we aren't affected by the snow- hey, are you even listening? Look at me when I'm talking! Hello?"

Number Fifteen was obviously listening to what she said, only that she was not bothered to turn and look, or even glance at her comrade; it was only wastage of energy of a muscle or two to do so. Raquel was amused by how Helen responded, and somehow made her smile for a moment. However, the climate had gotten the better of her as her body began to shiver just after about two hours into the northern region. That was when she tried utilizing her Yoki to get used to the temperature; nothing. The rowdy blonde glanced at Raquel after sensing the rousing Yoki from the silver haired woman. Somehow, she was still shivering.

"You really don't know how to use your Yoki that well, eh?" Helen commented.

"The only things I know when using Yoki is healing and increase my agility. Though the problem is, my speed isn't really that fast to begin with," replied Raquel, grey eyes looking away.

"Now that's cumbersome," remarked Number Twenty-Two. "To know only two basic ways of utilizing Yoki. If your agility is low, ever thought of having power-based moves?"

"That's what I had in mind, if you had peeked what I had been doing back in the forest. It was adopted from another Claymore's move. I wouldn't want to state her name for privacy reasons," grey eyes glanced at Helen, who appeared to be quite a chatty person.

"The one where you pierced the tree and failed to do so?" Deneve asked, somehow taking Raquel by surprise.

"Yes, I figured that if I can at least pierce through the tree about the diameter of the width of the claymore doubled, it should be enough to pierce a Yoma with ease," grey eyes turned to look at Number Fifteen.

"You're really trying to make yourself in a hard situation. A Yoma's body is very much like a human's except it's tougher. But if you're referring to an Awakened Being's level, then maybe it's understandable. How many experiences you have against an Awakened Being, excluding the one where we first met?" said the short haired blonde in a rather monotonous tone.

"Once," Number Forty-Eight answered.

"Which means you have seen how tough they were," replied Deneve. "Let's search for a place to turn in the night."

"You bet! I might need a quick nap," Helen stretched her arms.

"Your 'quick nap' is almost like 'no nap'. Might as well call it a breather," the short haired blonde countered. "Come on. If we turn away from the path, we might find one cave or something for us to relax for the night."

Fortunately, they managed to find a cave of sorts, just that Helen had gone out to get something to eat, and wood to illuminate the dark shelter. It was then Deneve decided to do something about Raquel's lack of sword fighting skills. Using the empty space in front of the cave, Number Fifteen scanned the area around them, looking for a proper tree that might fit at least an average Awakened Being's defenses. One stuck out from the rest, a rather biggish tree. After Raquel had taken notice of the stated plant Deneve had pointed to, a sentence left the blonde's mouth.

"Let me see how you do it as of now. I'll try to find out the flaws."

Not a breath coming out from her mouth, Raquel placed the blade in front of her. From there, she positioned it so the blade was held vertically. Her right hand grasped onto the hilt of the claymore while her left hand clasped onto the upper cross-guard. However, not taking anymore chances, she utilized the maximum amount of Yoki she could muster; thirty percent. Her eyes turned immediately to bright yellow from grey ones. She concentrated on the target; she charged towards it, somehow without thinking.

Just somehow inches before the point of the blade touching the surface of the tree bark, Raquel exerted force to the cross guard, while pushing the hilt of the blade downwards, as a counter to the cross guard's downward force. The claymore pierced its way into the tree, but it seemed that it did not pierce all the way through. The slight modification she had done had only made the blade penetrate about half. A slight improvement compared to the last two, but it was still not good enough.

Deneve had witnessed the attack Raquel had intended to master, but it seemed that flaws were plenty, "I think there's quite a number of faults to your intended attack move."

"What is it?" the twin-tailed lady asked.

"Apart from your lack of speed, the way you thrust it was a bit early; I assume your accuracy is not that good either," the blonde stated the obvious.

"Those traits of myself, I already come to know about it," grey eyes turned away.

"Here's a suggestion; Begin with your blade on your left side, both hands onto the hilt. From there, time yourself to strike; move the blade towards in front of you horizontally with a hard thrust. Then quickly, with your left hand, grasp to the left cross guard while for the right cross-guard, use your right shoulder. It might be hard to understand, but I think I have the gist of it. Try it again."

"That's quite a mouthful," thought Number Forty-Eight. "But I have no choice."

Keeping the same distance as last time, she placed the blade to the left side, both hands holding tightly onto the hilt. She took a deep breath, hoping she would get it in the first time round. As such, she began dashing towards the same target, utilizing her thirty percent maximum Yoki. Again, her speed was lacking, hence she had to rely on power. The target was near, with only her right hand on the hilt, she gave a quick thrust. She then set the blade horizontally; exactly right in front of her while her left hand wrapped around the left cross guard while her right shoulder estimated the position where the right cross guard might be.

The point of the blade touched the tree bark once again. The inertia from the blade had mellowed, but not Raquel's. With another thrust, she aimed her right shoulder for the said cross guard. However, not being quick enough, the pommel came hitting her chest, hard. But that was not the end of it. Soon after that, a trail of blood left her mouth, staining her own blade as she knelt, before collapsing onto the cold snow, her hand grasping the chest area, wheezing for air.

Deneve had witnessed the dangerous mishap done by Raquel, and began rushing to her aid. The harsh impact had managed to break a few ribs in Raquel, leaving her rather breathless by it. She had unleashed all thirty percent of her Yoki to quicken the healing pace; hence she could minimize the amount of pain she was experiencing right now. She let out a gasp before spitting out a blotch of crimson. Number Fifteen, with haste, got Raquel up to her feet while slowly, got her into the cave, setting her in a lying position by then. The blonde then went back to the tree to retrieve the blade, but was amused at the effect; three-quarters of the claymore had penetrated into the trunk. If Raquel had not met that mishap, she might have been able to pierce through, right to the rain guard. However, what Raquel had experienced was the fatal law to that assault; the target might receive a lot of damage, while the user attains more amount of injury than the target if he/ she were to make a mistake initiating it.

"That might work, but with a more hefty flaw. Hope Raquel doesn't like this one. Need to revise the attack a bit," thought Deneve before Helen reappeared into the scene with a dead hare in her left hand while her right held a decent amount of firewood. "Helen, Raquel's hurt. Try not to disturb her that much."

"What? What happened?" silver eyes widened. "Just as I got the appetite for some hare meat."

"She needed some improvement on her attack she wanted to adopt so I decided to help her out. The only thing is, my suggestion was a bit risky, hence her condition," the short haired Claymore explained.

"Looks like we're going to be here for quite a while," Helen implied.

"Might take about half a day before she's up and running. But then, she might still insist on practicing that move again,"

"What makes you think she'll do so?"

"She has determination to improve. After all, being the total outcast of all Claymores is hard. Harder than Clare I can say."

"Clare huh? Been a while since I heard that name."

"But no matter, we best try to give Raquel the skills she needs. Though, her Yoki seems to be limited at thirty percent," said Deneve in a rather puzzling voice.

"Hah?" Helen responded with a surprised look. "Limited to thirty percent? How is that possible?"

"I don't know; must be the reason why she is an incomplete Claymore," the short haired blonde implied.

"Then, what are you going to do with that?" silver eyes stared at her comrade.

"Might want to bump up her Yoki to fifty percent at least,"

"You're kidding me!"


	6. Unexpected

_**Situation 6  
Unexpected**_

Half a day had passed, and it seemed that Raquel's internal wounds had healed, though the pain had not subsided. And as expected, she was eager to return to training, even though the move Deneve had suggested was downright dangerous by any means. That had Number Fifteen a bit disturbed, to the fact that the silver haired lass insisted on practicing that move. More than once Raquel actually pestered the blonde, even more annoying than Helen herself.

"I said no, and that's final," Deneve finally replied with a deadpan voice though one could feel a sense of anger flowing through her words. "It's too dangerous for you to try. If you keep doing so, fragments of your bones would go inside your bloodstream and act as a 'killer' if it gets to the heart. It will kill you one day."

"I know; but the effect on the attack you suggested was to my favour somehow, only that I got clumsy at that moment," Number Forty-Eight explained.

"Clumsy? It was clearly a fact that you were not fast enough to miss that pommel, even though your reaction timing to changing movements is by far our level. It is too dangerous for you," Deneve explained before commenting. "Unless you're trying to be a suicidal Valkyrie."

Silence ensued in between them as more snow continued to fall. Number Twenty-Two came from behind Raquel, somehow giving a shrug before implying one thing that Deneve seemed to have been avoiding.

"Aren't you supposed to tell her that you want to push her Yoki from thirty percent, to _fifty _percent? After all, it might help her gain the agility needed, and heightens the healing speed."

"Helen!" Deneve's voice roused at the response.

By then, Number Forty-Eight had kept silent. She understood now, as an illegitimate Claymore, she was still weak compared to them. While trying not to be too emotional about her disadvantage, the short haired blonde's voice came through, though she was not paying attention to it at all. In fact, she was busy in a dilemma; there was a bigger risk if she were to overshoot the fifty percent mark. Fifty percent was about thirty percent away from the point of no return; about eighty percent. Raquel was somehow forced into a decision; remain limited at thirty percent, or gain to fifty. The silver haired woman began pacing away from the two Claymores, walking towards the tree that she had used few hours before. Touching the deep stab marks on the trunk, Raquel then turned around, with a face filled with determination. Though, truthfully, she was afraid; afraid that she would overshoot and end up as an Awakened Being. The risk was uncertain, but in order to be stronger, she had to do so.

"Do it. Push my Yoki limit to fifty percent. I don't want to hear any form of excuses."

That had shaken both official Claymores. Helen was simply trying to reveal Deneve's intentions to help Raquel get stronger, but not the reply such as that coming from her mouth. That had her voicing out her opinion.

"You're kidding me! That's as if you're trying to discard your life away. This is not a game."

"Game? Do I look as if I'm treating this as a game? Of course not! I want to be stronger. I want to be on the same level as other Claymores. I want to protect myself from the Yoma. If I don't, how would I survive; in seclusion? On the run, away from the Awakened Beings and Yoma? I don't want to be a coward like I used to; running away from the Yoma and using the environment around me as an assault. I had enough of those days!" Number Forty-Eight's voice rose, for the first time amusingly as her Yoki kicked in, up to the maximum thirty percent.

By then, the short haired blonde was sure Raquel was very much wanted- no, needed to get stronger. Deneve knew how she would want to do so to get the silver haired woman up to fifty percent for her Yoki; a one-on-one pressure fight.

"You sure on that?" silver eyes stared at Raquel, who had been holding her blade ever since she regained consciousness.

"Yes-, wha-," Number Forty-Eight was about to respond when Deneve had charged towards her with a swift upward slash, missing her clothing. "Deneve!"

"Get your guard up!" the short haired blonde commanded, this time swinging her blade in a horizontal arc, the body of the blade hitting Raquel's left shoulder.

"What are you doing-," grey eyes glared for a moment before piercing ones from the said Claymore loomed her over.

"I said guard up!"

By the second time the blonde yelled, Number Forty-Eight finally responded with a quick parry to the front before a screeching clang ensued before a sudden thrust sent her retreating backwards. Raquel, not knowing what was going on, after utilizing her full thirty percent of her Yoki, charged towards Deneve with a simple forward thrust while both hands gripped to the hilt. Number Fifteen foresaw the assault and leaped overhead before sending another thrust to Raquel, this time to the back. That had the silver haired woman stumbling to the ground face first into the soft snow. Helen took a step back, knowing that she would not be able to cease the fight, not because Deneve could not stop; it was Raquel. She had to let it be, so that Number Forty-Eight could advance.

Yellow eyes from the twin-tailed woman widened, somehow burning in fury as she got up to her feet and went straight for the strike with a harsh overhead stroke. Silver eyes turned into the ones shaded in yellow, countering with a thrust to Raquel's blade, then a right blow to the midriff with the body of the claymore. Number Forty-Eight, once again, found herself crashing onto the ground, this time her torso taking the damage. Deneve took a minor leap backwards, giving the determined, yet riled Claymore to recover. She stared at Number Forty-Eight with disappointed eyes; on purpose so Raquel would try to push her Yoki harder, going past thirty percent. To add on the effect, the blonde remarked in the harshest way she could muster.

"That's all? That's all you can do?" she said with a deadpan face apart from the disappointed eyes. "You're pathetic. A Number Forty-Eight should just hide in a cave like that, and not come out until the Awakened Beings and Yoma catch you. You're nothing but animal fodder."

Raquel gasped in shock at Deneve's response. Yellow eyes spun to look at Number Fifteen; she had never heard her speak with such a sharp tongue. Anger fuelled her, somehow demanding her Yoki to push past thirty percent; nothing happened. Her mind was in a blank, as if running on pure instinct. Raquel got up to her feet, and then initiated another charging attack. The blonde, once again, evaded the attack with a quick sidestep- Raquel's blade came close to landing a hit onto her left thigh; a sign of Raquel's quick response, but lack of agility. Again, standing at quite a distance between them, Deneve observed the illegitimate Claymore; her posture seemed to have changed. Raquel's stance was of widely spaced legs with her body that hung low while the blade placed right in front of her.

Number Forty-Eight took the first move again. Deneve charged towards her as well, but with an assault Raquel would never expect. With the tip of the blade barely leaving a faint mark on the snow, the blonde used the wide side of the blade to apply pressure onto Raquel's left leg, sending her crashing to the snow face first, once again. However, Deneve had a point to make.

"That posture does nothing but leaving you open to more attacks. Do something- huh?" her words were cut off by Raquel's loud, husky voice.

"That does it! I had enough of this bloody assault!"

A little clumsy, Number Forty-Eight charged towards the blonde with a sudden lunge, the blade ready for a diagonal strike. Though easily deflected by Deneve, she sensed something rising within Raquel; her Yoki. It had burst through the thirty percent barrier- the blonde had overseen a flaw.

"No! Stop! Raquel! You went past _fifty_ percent! Stop!" Number Fifteen's voice came through before her head spun to her comrade. "Helen!"

Number Twenty-Two, noticing the urgency seconds earlier on, had raced her way towards Raquel. A hard clang was heard between two blades from Raquel and Deneve. The silver haired lass had simply ignored all of Deneve's calls to stop, and went on, not realizing she had utilized her Yoki past her limit- a hard thrust from behind was felt, but with a mass behind her, sending Raquel pinned to the soft snow. Number Forty-Eight's neck and temples were dominated with veins, some of it even slipping its way to her face. Her body had distorted, to the point similar to a Yoma. Helen reached in time to pin Twin-tails down, but her Yoki was tapping sixty percent. The two Claymores knew, they had to stop her. And that was what Helen did when she gave a hard slug to the back of Raquel's scalp. Being hit at the weakest spot of the skull, the effect had the almost uncontrollable Claymore fall into a world of silence; unconscious.

"Is her Yoki going down?" asked Deneve, with a bit of a shocked look.

"It's fading; it's going down all right. Raquel's crazy! If I had not reached here in time, she would have gone past the point of no return," remarked the shoulder length haired Claymore. "But I never knew she would just burst into rage after all that anger."

"It's better for her to cool down and refrain from using her Yoki for at least a day or two. She might not be able to take the high levels of Yoki for now; it's unstable," the short haired blonde implied. "Hope she doesn't recall me looking down on her and the like."

"Though, I have to admit one thing; Raquel sure knocks out more than us in many accounts. Wonder if that had an effect on her brain?"

"Don't make me worry about that as well."

… … …

A cold blast of wind brushed against the twenty year old Claymore as she roused from unconsciousness. Grey eyes cracked open, only to see Deneve and Helen sitting while leaning against their blades as their heads gazed outside of the cave. Dizziness was still troubling Raquel as she tried hard to sit up, only to see herself supporting from falling with her left hand on the hard stone ground. Her right hand massaged her temples slightly, just to ease the pain that was somehow on the back of her scalp.

Number Fifteen glanced at the silver haired Claymore with a deadpan face, before her voice came through, "Try not to use your Yoki that much. You're still unstable in someway."

Raquel was amused when she heard that response before she recalled what had happened; she was vexed to the point she blew out of rage, not even realizing she had utilized her Yoki. Grey eyes still stared at Deneve before she spoke.

"You vexed me out to gain my Yoki?"

"I knew you would realize it after you've cooled down," the short haired blonde replied. "You lost your temper back then. Helen managed to stop you before you turned into an Awakened Being."

Raquel had not noticed she had almost crossed the line back then. In fact, she could barely feel the surge of Yoki when she was fuelled with anger. Grey eyes then looked away, before asking the critical question.

"How far did I go?"

"Sixty percent, in an unstable condition," Helen responded. "Let it mellow down, it should fall to about the targeted fifty. But to be honest, I've never seen a Claymore with an unstable Yoki; you're the first. You just have to be aware that you run a higher risk of turning into an Awakened Being if you keep doing that stint. It's better for you to just stay at fifty percent."

That was the first time Raquel heard the rowdy Claymore reply with a serious tone to it. But for her to run a higher risk than the other two, she felt she was endangering them. But no matter, it seemed that Helen was trying to liven up the spirit when the meat that was by the fire was ready.

"Hey, the hare's meat ready!" she announced, somehow with some forced excitement to it before handing one to Number Forty-Eight. "Take a bite; it should warm you up, considering that you're unable to use your Yoki to retain your body temperature."

Not a breath of word left the silver haired woman's mouth as she grasped it before chewing on it. Surprisingly, she felt as if that one piece of hare's meat was enough to fill her appetite, even though it was the size of two mussels. She was beginning to feel less human, and more of a Claymore. But, somewhere in her mind, she felt more like a Yoma. She shook her head to get rid of that negative thought she had just moments ago.

"I have to stay positive, no matter what," her thoughts went before wolfing down the meat, somehow amusing Helen.

"Hey! That's my share!"

"You swallowed three at one go, so I'll take one!"

"I did not! I eat in a sensible way- hey!"

Deneve, holding her only share of food, glanced at the two Claymores wrestling for the hare's meat as her thoughts kicked in, "Raquel seriously needs to train how to control that Yoki of hers. Thank God she has trouble utilizing her Yoki once it reaches to the limit she has uncovered. Fifty percent should be enough for her, in fact for her lifetime. And also, she really needed to practice more on her sword-wielding skills. But that's not the case right now."

The short haired blonde then gazed outside, before muttering out their main importance, "We need to go to Pieta, fast."


End file.
